School District 27J adopts 2026–27 budget, approves new fee schedule after equity concerns

The School District 27J Board of Education on June 10 voted unanimously to adopt the district’s fiscal year 2026–27 budget and to approve an updated district-wide fee schedule for the upcoming school year.

CFO Stacy Mashamoto said the budget process begins each winter and reflects conservative multi-year planning to avoid deficits. "The district does undergo a rigorous budget process that we start in January," she told the board, explaining projections assume adjustments to salary and benefits in later years to keep fund balances above required reserves.

Why it matters: board members emphasized that capital projects, staffing and programs depend on a mix of bond proceeds, mill-levy funds and general-fund resources. Directors pressed staff for clearer fund-balance projections and for public education about what reserves mean for future spending decisions.

What was approved: the board approved the budget by roll call under Resolution No. 13 (2025–2026). The resolution passed with affirmative votes from Directors Raone Alvarado, Melinda Carbajal, Ashley Khan, Tom Green, Star Trillo and Rachel Wilhelm.

Fee schedule debate: the board also approved a revised fee schedule that includes modest cost-recovery increases, a $125 middle-school athletics participation fee (and a $25 fundraising fee), a $40 per-semester "block class" fee for condensed CTE blocks, new esports participation fees for a middle-school pilot, and larger Chromebook replacement charge options that bundle device, charger and case.

Directors and members of the public raised repeated equity concerns during a lengthy discussion. Resident and former educator Janine Runfla urged attention to access and pedagogy; community members and some board members pressed for a study of cumulative fees, how free-and-reduced families are backfilled, and whether bulk procurement could lower replacement costs.

"We want experiences for our kids that the budget just can't sustain," one director said during the debate, summarizing the tension between program expectations and constrained resources.

Next steps and commitments: board members asked staff to return comparative data on the fiscal impact of fees and to convene community stakeholders to study equity and alternative approaches. The administration agreed to provide detailed breakouts (e.g., how much of specific programs are funded by mill-levy versus fees) and to report on fee backfill mechanisms for low-income families.

The meeting record: the fee-schedule motion was moved by Director Melinda Carbajal, seconded by Director Rachel Wilhelm, and carried by roll call. The adoption of the fiscal-year budget and appropriations was moved and carried later in the meeting; roll-call records show unanimous support from the directors present.

The board will reconvene in August to continue governance work, including an education session on fund-balance policy and follow-up on fee-equity planning.